This is a great little spot for lunch. Sandwiches are quite good and service is friendly as well. Maybe there's new ownership, as I see lots of the negative reviews are older.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hilda Kroll
A convenient place to stop off for a reasonably priced cup of coffee, breakfast or quick lunch. Lots of tables in the spacious atrium. Located next to the Farragut North Metro.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Rodney Houston
This place is awesome! I just had the best bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich ever! The portion and price were perfect. It tasted wonderful. They actually did something that I would use for myself in the future. They wrapped the cheese inside of the egg to keep it all neat. The service was super fast, friendly, and inviting. I will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Barbara T.
OMG I never had a turkey sandwich melt in my mouth like this -- or maybe any kind of sandwich before!!! I live in Silver Spring, MD near White Oak so the location is not close but I would drive down there again just for one of these amazing sandwiches!! The turkey is roasted fresh every morning... it is succulent. I had the turkey on sour dough bread, mayo, red onions, cucumbers, cranberry sauce, and spinach... YUM!!! It melts in your mouth! I may ask the lovely, most friendly owner and staff to make a bunch for me one day for a family gathering -- that' how amazing this sandwich is!!
labs_home
We were lucky to discover the Atrium Cafe across from our hotel. Fast, simple breakfast selections, prepared to order, by a happy and obliging staff. Food and coffee were good quality and there was never an issue finding seating, mostly locals in the place picking up something on their way to work. I loved the breakfast burrito. Closed weekends.
MetroWest52
$22 for a bad cheeseburger cold fries and warm coke. None of the workers speak English. Bad experience.
J S.
Hadn't been there in years and wasn't sure they'd survived the pandemic. Just needed a quick place to grab a sandwich, but was pleasantly surprised how good they were. Won't be as long until my next visit.
Jackjack706
We had meatloaf with roasted rainbow carrots. Everything was tasty including desserts. Didn't feel like I was being ripped off eating inside a museum like some other places. The hot entrees were weighed by pound ($16/lb?) so depending on how much you pile on is your cost. Baked mac and cheese bowl was $8. You do pay a little more but it's a satisfying hot meal. Only complaint was tables are crammed together and it was a busy spring break week so cafe was at full capacity.
Niss C.
Amazing turkey sandwiches! They cook the actual turkey there, and slice it off for your sandwich! Always nice! The people are so nice and helpful!
The Natural History Museum is currently open five days a week. We recently visited for the first time in two years, and decided to give the Atrium Cafe a try as we wanted a bite before visiting the exhibits. What a disappointment! First, at noon, while the cafe wasn't crowded, the items on the hot table were few and far between. The menu is almost completely dedicated to chicken tenders & fries, mac & cheese, hot dogs & fries, BBQ sandwich & fries, taco & fries, and, just fries. There is a cold case off to the side with ready made cold sandwiches and a few salads. Tried the chicken Caesar. For about $12.00 you get a scant small bowl of unchopped escarole, a tiny amount each of parmesan cheese, small (tough, tasteless) chicken cubes, and croutons. The most generous item is the salad dressing. Drinks are $4+. Good news of a sort -- there is beer if you're so inclined. Another offering was a sort of open faced taco. It proved largely inedible. All dishes are quite small. The menu is clearly geared to the lowest common denominator, aimed at young children. Some people brought their lunch (a good idea!), did not see signs that said it was forbidden. Recommendation: Bring your own lunch or eat somewhere else!
Brad Cole
Terrible service. Phenomenally bad attitude. Folks act as if you are bothering them by being there to place an order. Had regularly gone there based on convenience, but poor service finally outweighed convenience today. I won't be back.
oliviayoung99
The National Natural History Smithsonian is one of my favorite museums. I love it so much that I didn't want to leave during the middle of my visit for lunch; so, I decided to eat at the Atrium Cafe. Fellow museum-goers, do yourselves a favor and DO NOT eat here! Go anywhere else! I had the mac n' cheese, french fries, and a piece of cake, and all 3 were absolutely awful. Everything was cold, as if it all had been sitting out for days. The fries were so undercooked that they would be better classified as mashed potatoes. The cake was extremely dry and had a weird aftertaste. The mac n' cheese tasted stale and seemed like there was more grease and water in it than cheese. I have never felt so much remorse for spending $7.95-- the food at this place is that bad! Seriously folks, do not eat here! Go anywhere else!
Ronda Bernstein
Small deli on the lower level of Washington Square. Open for breakfast and lunch. Small hot bar available as well as a counter. Good place to grab coffee and a muffin or buy a drink. Seating available outside the business in the atrium of the building.
CorvettePete
We were visiting Washington from Australia and came to the museum at about lunchtime. Looking back, we should have got something from one of the food vans while we waited in the queue for security clearance. The array of food available in the Atrium Café was appalling. I ended up have the beef and ricotta pizza. It was limp and tasteless. My wife had the chicken tenders which were very average. All in all, this was the American food at its worst and should have been sent to the dustbin of history. Avoid it if you can.
This is a great little spot for lunch. Sandwiches are quite good and service is friendly as well. Maybe there's new ownership, as I see lots of the negative reviews are older.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A convenient place to stop off for a reasonably priced cup of coffee, breakfast or quick lunch. Lots of tables in the spacious atrium. Located next to the Farragut North Metro.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
This place is awesome! I just had the best bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich ever! The portion and price were perfect. It tasted wonderful. They actually did something that I would use for myself in the future. They wrapped the cheese inside of the egg to keep it all neat. The service was super fast, friendly, and inviting. I will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
OMG I never had a turkey sandwich melt in my mouth like this -- or maybe any kind of sandwich before!!! I live in Silver Spring, MD near White Oak so the location is not close but I would drive down there again just for one of these amazing sandwiches!! The turkey is roasted fresh every morning... it is succulent. I had the turkey on sour dough bread, mayo, red onions, cucumbers, cranberry sauce, and spinach... YUM!!! It melts in your mouth! I may ask the lovely, most friendly owner and staff to make a bunch for me one day for a family gathering -- that' how amazing this sandwich is!!
We were lucky to discover the Atrium Cafe across from our hotel. Fast, simple breakfast selections, prepared to order, by a happy and obliging staff. Food and coffee were good quality and there was never an issue finding seating, mostly locals in the place picking up something on their way to work. I loved the breakfast burrito. Closed weekends.
$22 for a bad cheeseburger cold fries and warm coke. None of the workers speak English. Bad experience.
Hadn't been there in years and wasn't sure they'd survived the pandemic. Just needed a quick place to grab a sandwich, but was pleasantly surprised how good they were. Won't be as long until my next visit.
We had meatloaf with roasted rainbow carrots. Everything was tasty including desserts. Didn't feel like I was being ripped off eating inside a museum like some other places. The hot entrees were weighed by pound ($16/lb?) so depending on how much you pile on is your cost. Baked mac and cheese bowl was $8. You do pay a little more but it's a satisfying hot meal. Only complaint was tables are crammed together and it was a busy spring break week so cafe was at full capacity.
Amazing turkey sandwiches! They cook the actual turkey there, and slice it off for your sandwich! Always nice! The people are so nice and helpful!
Great food! Korean beef wrap was AMAZING!
Restaurantji Recommends
The Natural History Museum is currently open five days a week. We recently visited for the first time in two years, and decided to give the Atrium Cafe a try as we wanted a bite before visiting the exhibits. What a disappointment! First, at noon, while the cafe wasn't crowded, the items on the hot table were few and far between. The menu is almost completely dedicated to chicken tenders & fries, mac & cheese, hot dogs & fries, BBQ sandwich & fries, taco & fries, and, just fries. There is a cold case off to the side with ready made cold sandwiches and a few salads. Tried the chicken Caesar. For about $12.00 you get a scant small bowl of unchopped escarole, a tiny amount each of parmesan cheese, small (tough, tasteless) chicken cubes, and croutons. The most generous item is the salad dressing. Drinks are $4+. Good news of a sort -- there is beer if you're so inclined. Another offering was a sort of open faced taco. It proved largely inedible. All dishes are quite small. The menu is clearly geared to the lowest common denominator, aimed at young children. Some people brought their lunch (a good idea!), did not see signs that said it was forbidden. Recommendation: Bring your own lunch or eat somewhere else!
Terrible service. Phenomenally bad attitude. Folks act as if you are bothering them by being there to place an order. Had regularly gone there based on convenience, but poor service finally outweighed convenience today. I won't be back.
The National Natural History Smithsonian is one of my favorite museums. I love it so much that I didn't want to leave during the middle of my visit for lunch; so, I decided to eat at the Atrium Cafe. Fellow museum-goers, do yourselves a favor and DO NOT eat here! Go anywhere else! I had the mac n' cheese, french fries, and a piece of cake, and all 3 were absolutely awful. Everything was cold, as if it all had been sitting out for days. The fries were so undercooked that they would be better classified as mashed potatoes. The cake was extremely dry and had a weird aftertaste. The mac n' cheese tasted stale and seemed like there was more grease and water in it than cheese. I have never felt so much remorse for spending $7.95-- the food at this place is that bad! Seriously folks, do not eat here! Go anywhere else!
Small deli on the lower level of Washington Square. Open for breakfast and lunch. Small hot bar available as well as a counter. Good place to grab coffee and a muffin or buy a drink. Seating available outside the business in the atrium of the building.
We were visiting Washington from Australia and came to the museum at about lunchtime. Looking back, we should have got something from one of the food vans while we waited in the queue for security clearance. The array of food available in the Atrium Café was appalling. I ended up have the beef and ricotta pizza. It was limp and tasteless. My wife had the chicken tenders which were very average. All in all, this was the American food at its worst and should have been sent to the dustbin of history. Avoid it if you can.